Manufacture of metal writing pens



June 1, 1943.

s. E. LONGMAID MANUFACTURE 'OF METAL WRITING PENS Filed Aug. 31, 1939 m m n a n m M u E n u 0 W w A S u m m M Patented June 1, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURE OF METAL WRIIIN G PENS Sydney E. Long-maid, Rosemont, Pa., assignor to The Esterbrook Steel Pen Manufacturing 00., Camden, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 31, 1939, Serial No. 292,936

4 Claims.

the blanks are cut preliminary to or coincident nib portion of such blanks.

A further object of my invention is to produce a steel writing pen from a blank having a groove (or grooves) in the exact longitudinal axis of the nib portion thereof.

And a still further object of my invention is to utilize the creased. or indented portion of the blank after the same has been raised to pen form in the usual manner to facilitate separation of the forward part of the pen to provide the usual and desired nibs.

These and other features of my invention are more fully set forth hereinafter; reference being had to the accompanying drawing, more or less diagrammatic in character, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of sufficient of a strip of pen metal stock to show the steps in the production of blanks therefrom in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale illustrating portions of one type of dies which may be employed in the blank-forming operation, with a section of pen metal stock between the same.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the die portions in close engagement with the pen metal stock.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a pen blank produced in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line VIII--VIII, Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a similar view illustrating a modification within the scope of my invention.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary View illustrating a further modification within the scope of my invention.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view of mechanism which I might employ in carrying out one feature of my invention, and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of the writing tip end of a pen or pen point made in accordance with my invention.

All pens employed in writing, no matter what the metal may be, have a nib portion at the forward end of the same; separate nibs being present by reason of a slit or slot in the longitudinal axis of the pointed end of the pen.

In the manufacture of what are known as carbon steel pens, this slitting operation is performed as a final step after the hardening and/or tempering steps have been effected; the pen or blank being in what is known as the raised condition. In the main, the slitting of the raised blank or pen is an operation wherein the pen is placed upon what may be termed a jaw anvil, and ashear blade is brought down to cut or crack the metal of the pen in the nib portion thereof along its longitudinal axis. While this operation is generally satisfactory, it sometimes happens that the slit is off-centre; spoiling the pen, and in all instances it is a hand operation; that is to say, the operator must feed the pens one by one into position for engagement by the slitting or cracking elements.

In carrying out my invention, I propose to do away with this slitting operation and to provide pens with a groove or grooves in the longitudinal axis of the nib portion of the same; which grooved portion may be readily cracked in producing the finished pen. I may initially indent or crease the metal from which the pens or pen points are made preliminary to or simultaneously with the cutting of the blanks from the sheet or strip of pen metal stock, or the blanks may be indented or creased after they have been cut from the pen metal stock.

This preliminary indenting or creasing of the pen metal stock is of such extent that the forward end of the same lies beyond the final point of the blank, while the inner end thereof lies within the space subsequently occupied by the pierce-hole. Preferably, the creasing or indenting is effected by die members before the blank is cut from the pen stock.

In Fig. 1 I have shown diagrammatically the manner in which pens are blanked from sheet metal pen stock. The die members for effecting this operation are equipped with the necessary elements for creasing or indenting, marking, side-slitting. hole-piercing, and cutting.

The section of pen metal stock is indicated at A; the crease or indentation at a; the marking at b; the side-slitting at c; the pierce hole at d, and the final cutting at e. To position the pen metal stock as it is fed through or between the dies, it is preferably provided with apertures j which register with locating pins which definitely position the strip at the various stations including the cutting point to insure that the blanks when out from the pen metal stock will have the creases or indentations in the exact longitudinal axis thereof so that when the forward end of the raised pen is cracked it will provide separate nibs of exact size and shape on opposite sides of the line of separation defined by the original creases or indentations.

The upper and lower die elements are indicated at I and I I, in Figs. 2 and 3, and to effect this desired creasing or indentation, each of the die elements may be provided with a tapered ridge or projection [0 and Il respectively, in such position for engagement with the sheet metal pen stock that when the latter is moved forward step-by-step, the indentations or creases will occupy the exact longitudinal axis of the forward or nib portion of the blanks as the latter are cut from the pen metal stock.

While the creases may be separately applied, I prefer to apply them simultaneously so that at the creasing stage two longitudinal groovesin superposed relation occupy positions corresponding to the exact longitudinal axis of the blank upon opposite sides or faces of the same. It will be understood, of course, that when indentations are made upon the opposite sides of the cut blank they may .be made at one or two statges, as desired.

The blanks with the oppositely disposed grooves in the longitudinal axis of the forward portion thereof are subsequently raised in the usual manner common in the pen art. These raised blanks are then heat-treated in order to impart the desired temper or hardness to the pens.

The pens in this stage are substantially finished except for the separation of the nib parts.

This separation is a cracking operation and may be accomplished by giving thepens a jarring action as by violent rumbling in a barrel in the usual way, or by delivering them by suitable means and with some velocity against a hard surface. In lieu of this, the cracking may be effected by imparting a sharp blow to individual pens or by causing them to strike momentarily a hard surface. This operation might be carried out by many forms of devices. In Fig. 11 I have shown a rotating drum l2, in which the pens may be mounted radially and, when the drum is rotated, such pens may be caused to strike a spring-supported tappet or hammer IZ which may be of some hard material, at a suitable point in the path of rotation.

As may be readily understood, the raising of the blank has a tendency to open the longitudinal groove on the upper side of the pen and to close the longitudinal groove on the under side, as indicated in Fig. '7, depending upon the amount of curvature of the nib portion, so that the step of cracking or nib separation is a very simple one and may be easily and rapidly accomplished.

While in general the indentationsor grooves will be of the same shape and depth and of the same character from end to end, as indicated in Fig. 8, it is within the scope of my invention to deepen the groove or grooves toward the pierce hole so as to be, in effect, tapered; as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9. It is also within the scope of my invention to taper the groove or grooves by widening the same toward the pierce hole, as indicated in Fig. 10. This latter form of tapering, however, need not increase the depth of the groove or grooves.

By reason of the grooving or indenting, pens made in accordance with my invention will have a smoother writing tip point for contact with the paper inasmuch as the metal at such writing paper-contacting end will have been slightly indented, as indicated in the enlarged view of the writing tip end, Fig. 12.

While I prefer to indent the pen metal stock before the blanks are cut therefrom, it is within the scope of my invention to goove or indent the blanks, in one or both faces, in the longitudinal axis of the same, after they have been cut from the sheet metal pen stock.

It will be understood, of course, that the views of the drawing are greatly enlarged in size in order to illustrate the invention. In the main, the amount of indentation at the respective sides or faces of the pen blank is to a depth of about one-third the thickness of the metal; in other words, if the stock has a thickness of .011", the depth of the grooves will be approximately .004; materially reducing the amount of metal to be finally cracked through after the heat-treating operation.

The pens may be polished in the usual way, and lacquered for marketing before or after the cracking or nib-separating operation.

By the term pen in the claims is meant the pen point which constitutes the paper-engaging writing end of a pen; the term pen in its original sense comprehending the holder as well L as the point whereby writing is effected.

While I have described with more or less particularity the details of my invention, it will be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit thereof; all of which is deemed to be within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making a steel pen which comprises providing a pierced blank with the nib portion thereof grooved in its exact longitudinal axis; raising the grooved blank to pen form; heat-treating the raised blank, and finally cracking the forward end .thereof along the longitudinal groove to form separate nib portions.

2. The method of making a steel pen which comprises providing a pierced blank with the nib portion formed with tapered grooves on opposite sides thereof in superposed position in the exact longitudinal axis of the blank; the taper of said grooves widening from the point of the blank toward the pierce hole, raising the grooved blank to pen form; heat-treating the raised blank, and finally cracking the forward end thereof along the longitudinal grooves to form separate nib portions.

3. The method of making steel pens which comprises grooving or channeling the metal from which the pens are made; piercing the metal in line with such grooving; cutting blanks from. such metal with such groove or channel in the exact longitudinal axis of such blanks; raising the blanks to pen form, and finally cracking the nib portion thereof along such groove or channel between the pierce hole and the Writing tip.

4. The method of making steel pens which comprises grooving or channeling the metal from which the pens are made on opposite sides or faces of the same in exact superposed relation;

piercing the metal in line with such grooving; cutting blanks from such metal with such groove or channel in the exact longitudinal axis of such blanks; raising the blanks to pen form, and finally cracking the nib portion thereof along such grooving between the pierce hole and the writing tip.

SYDNEY E. LONGMAID. 

